


A Skeleton Hoard

by RedEyedRyu



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Characters Added As They Appear - Freeform, F/M, Rated for future suggestive themes, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is here to tease and torment skeletons, Reverse Harem, Slice of Life, There will be more AU skelebros to appear, no set plot, reader is not human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 01:50:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20037934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedEyedRyu/pseuds/RedEyedRyu
Summary: For some reason you've always struggled to keep tenants in your house for more than a year or two—even less since monsters have begun integrating with the human populace. Maybe it has something to do with the fact your property lays within what most consider "monster territory". Or maybe because it's widely considered to be haunted (though you know it's not, having owned the property for well over a century and having never once met a wayward spirit!). You like to think it's because of that first one. Humans do tend to be rather judgmental, after all.After your latest stint of tenant-less-ness, you're finally presented with some prospective tenants. Turns out they're monsters—skeletons, in fact. But why do they always seem to come in pairs?





	A Skeleton Hoard

**Author's Note:**

> Skeleton harem? _Slams mug on the floor, ignoring the mess as it shatters into a million pieces._ ANOTHER!!
> 
> We shan't talk about the Other Things™ I have yet to update <strike>in forever</strike>.
> 
> Anyway, this is a story I've been working on for a while now and am finally getting around to uploading. I've always wanted to play with the idea of a non-human reader interacting with <strike>and teasing</strike> The Boys™, so here's my take on that. Enjoy!

You take a sip of your latte, relishing in the near scalding liquid and how it grounds you. Your lips curl in a smile as you set the cup atop the small cafe table, relishing at what you see before you: monsters and humans, commingling peacefully.

It was rough at first, when the monsters first resurfaced (unsurprising, considering humanity had long since believed themselves the only sapient life in the world, having written monsters and myth off as idle fantasy long ago) but things have been steadily improving as the years progress. Long and hard the monsters fought, assisted by that spunky little human ambassador of theirs, to gain the rights and freedoms all living creatures deserve.

A determined race if you had ever seen one. 

You lift the cup to your lips once more and down another sip as your mind wanders. It drifts to the fickleness of humanity and you find yourself hoping that this peace, shaky and new as it is, will last for a long time yet. Perhaps if things go well with monsters, others will be willing to take a leap of faith, to give humanity another chance.

As you let your mind wander further, indulging in your beverage as you do, the bell above the cafe’s door jingles with a merry chime. It grabs your attention, your gaze drifting from watching the people passing by to the most recent arrivals: a small group of monsters (no more than four by the looks of it), all who appear rather similar in size and appearance, though each sport quite an individualized manner of attire.

You watch them for a moment, noting how they appear to be sweeping the cozy little shop, as if searching for someone.

_ Ah, that must be them, _you think, deducing that it's likely you they're looking for. No sooner does the thought cross your mind when the eyes of one sporting stylishly torn skinny jeans tucked in some rather slick looking boots, a dark denim jacket, and with a rather comfy looking dark magenta scarf wrapped around their neck that quite matches their eyes lock with yours. Their sockets squint, and for a moment, your gaze is drawn to the long gashes that cut through their right eye socket. You manage to tear your gaze away from the scars, noting instead how the frown upon their face dips lower at the corners. You smile despite this, lifting your cup in greeting and nodding your head. 

They hold your gaze for a moment that stretches beyond what would likely be considered socially acceptable. You don't waver, merely meeting their less than chipper expression with your warm grin.

A beat passes before the monster relents and tilts their skull, says something to the nearest person in their group, and then motions in your direction. And suddenly you've now got four sets of eye sockets trained on you. Not to be deterred or intimidated, you wave at them, motioning to the empty seats around your table.

You watch as they shuffle towards you, offhandedly noting again how physically similar they appear to one another. Are they related? They have to be, right? No… that’s a rather presumptuous, insensitive assumption.

The frowny monster with the magenta scarf and punk-like attire sits themself on the bench across from you, while a strikingly similar skeleton in a well worn blue hoodie, a navy graphic tee you can't quite make out, and black basketball shorts sits on the bench beside them. You notice that unlike the frowning skeleton beside them, their teeth appear straight and flat, rather than sharp and angular. They give a quick, “heya” and you have to admit the deep bass voice catches you off guard. Despite only hearing the one word, you think you could listen to that voice for hours.

You chirp a pleasant “hello” in return.

To the left and right of you sit the remaining two skeleton monsters, both of a taller, lankier build than the two before you. Like the first pair, they resemble one another quite a lot, though the one seated at your left sports a nasty looking crack from the bottom of his left eye socket down to a golden canine the one on your right clearly lacks. The golden-toothed skeleton’s sporting a rather cozy looking, dark cropped jacket accented in golden yellows with a large hood generously lined in faux fur. They're wearing some kind of band t-shirt and isn't that just fitting, you muse, when you spot the guitar pick necklace hanging loosely around their neck. When your eyes meet, they give you a wink, then rest their mandible upon their bony palm, sockets sliding shut. You quirk a brow but say nothing, instead turning to take in the last remaining skeleton.

Although they share many characteristics of the gold-toothed skeleton at your left, this one has an overall softer feel to them. The edges of their bones appear less angular, less worn down and definitely missing any obvious scars, nicks, or scratches. They have a long, slightly threadbare red scarf wrapped around their neck, the ends cascading down the front of their rather crisp looking shirt. And are you imagining it or… is it ironed? Huh. You can't say you've ever known anyone to put in the effort of ironing a simple t-shirt before. There's a first for everything, you suppose. They’re dressed quite casually, despite their clothes being pressed, yet still pull off a rather smart vibe with their ensemble. 

“Hello, human!” the skeleton says before all but smacking you in the face with their large, red leather gloved hand. This one’s voice is more of a tenor, you note, definitely nowhere as deep as the blue-garbed one’s. You give a light laugh and place your significantly smaller hand in theirs. You’re no human but you're not about to correct them, so you let it slide. “I am the great Papyrus!” the skeleton continues, hand practically engulfing yours.

“It’s nice to meet you, Papyrus,” you reply. Goodness, for someone lacking in muscle (and just any kind of meaty bits, really) this skeleton sure does have a rather strong grip. You reciprocate, matching their vice-like grip with your own.

“I'm sure it is!” the skeleton replies before releasing your hand. They turn to the skeleton in the blue hoodie seated at their right. “This is my brother, Sans.” Papyrus then nods to the skeleton beside Sans. “And our cousin Black and his brother, Rus. They're the ones looking to rent your rooms!”

You find it interesting that Black and Sans, and Rus and Papyrus aren't the sibling pairs; you honestly thought you were dealing with two sets of twins. You tell yourself you're not disappointed about that (but you most definitely are to some small degree).

Black’s eye sockets narrow as he shoots a rather heated look towards Papyrus. “We are quite capable of speaking for ourselves,” he all but growls, voice deep, but not quite at Sans’s level. And are you imagining it, or did Sans’s grin just tighten?

It doesn't seem likely that an argument will break out but you can sense a sudden building tension, a tiny spark of magic charging the air, from the two skeletons in front of you. Best to nip that right in the bud.

“Well, it's very nice to meet you all,” you cut in, taking a moment to introduce yourself. “Thank you for reaching out to me. I’m more than happy to discuss the house with you all, and if things sound good to you, I can give everyone a tour of the property whenever works best.” You give the monsters a bright, disarming smile, pleased to note the flaring tempers immediately petter out as their attention shifts back to you.

Black clears his throat as he crosses his arms. He gives you a rather intense, analytical stare before his serrated maw parts and he says, “Yes, well I will be the judge of whether or not we even proceed past this initial meeting.”

You quirk a brow and give a thoughtful hum before taking another sip of your latte, doing your best to fight the smirk and witty response dancing on the tip of your tongue. You get the feeling this one might be fun to rile up, and as much as you want to tease the guy, it’s probably best to save that for later, when you have a better grasp of his personality—if he does, in fact, wind up being one of your newest housemates that is. 

The discussion that follows goes about as one can expect. All four listen attentively as you go over rent and utilities and the specifics of your lease agreement. They ask questions and request clarification as needed, and it doesn't take long for you to notice that Papyrus and Black do most of the speaking. In fact, now that you think about it, you don't recall Rus having said a single word during this entire meeting. You cast a quizzical glance at the man and you honestly can't tell if he’s just _ really _ comfortable in that chair or if he’s currently asleep. Has he opened those sockets of his since he sat down? You’re not sure.

Since Rus is one of your possible tenants, you would think he’d take a more active part in the discussion. Perhaps he’s decided to just leave things to his brother?

Oh well, you think, it's not something you’re overly worried about.

As the meeting draws to a close, you ask if they would like to see the property.

Papyrus chimes in with an excited affirmation, stating that they’d love to. He leaves no room for argument or discussion, to which Black mutters a begrudging agreement, and so you schedule to meet tomorrow at noon. 

* * *

It’s twelve on the dot when your doorbell goes off, followed not a second later by knocking.

“Just a minute!” you call as you make your way to the door. You answer it to find Papyrus (who wastes no time in greeting you with a crushing hug), his brother, and his cousins.

“Hello, human!” he says as he sets you down on your stoop. “We have arrived at scenic your house!”

You dust yourself off with a chuckle, amused at the skeleton’s antics. “Yes, you most certainly have! It’s nice to see you again, Papyrus. And hello to you as well Sans, Black, Rus. Thank you for coming.”

Sans gives you a lazy wave, one of his pocketed hands slipping out of that same blue jacket you saw him in yesterday, just enough to waggle his phalanges at you, before pocketing the hand once more. He tilts his skull towards the nearby blackberry bushes and you think you see those little pips of light in his eye sockets brighten, see his smile widen ever so slightly.

“berry nice place ya got here.”

“Thanks!” you reply as you place your hands on your hips, chest puffing out in pride. Yes, your home _ is _ very nice!

You miss the way Sans’s brows furrow, his grin dipping in disappointment while Black snickers.

You bask in the praise for another moment before you shift your attention to the second set of brothers. Black’s smirking at Sans with his arms crossed while Rus is standing a bit behind his brother, hunched over and looking about ready to pass out. He’s sporting a more casual look than yesterday, decked in a dark amber pullover with matching track pants and untied chucks. He and Sans look the definition of dressed for comfort, while Black and Papyrus clearly put more time and attention into their outfits, both dressed similarly to yesterday.

You frown, focusing on Rus. Is he alright? Does he get enough sleep? You're pretty sure he had spent the entire meeting yesterday sleeping, afterall. You wonder if his current living situation doesn't play a part in that, and if it’s not part of the reason why he and his brother are here now, looking to rent out a couple of your rooms. If they decide they want to stay here, you are most definitely going to make sure that Rus gets all the rest he needs.

With that thought in mind, you think it’s high time you get this party started.

“Well, enough standing around kicking up dirt,” you announce, “let me show you all around!”

* * *

You’re several minutes into the home tour and it’s going well, you think.

Black compliments your decor and the overall cleanliness of your home, stating he’s both relieved and impressed that you’re able to meet his rather stringent standards; a feat many are unable to achieve, he tells you. He also praises your kitchen and the state-of-the-art appliances you have, going on to say that the available counter space and work area are rather sufficient to meet his needs. You swell with pride at the compliments and happily thank him with a beaming smile.

When you make it to the second floor, which houses the main living spaces, he comments on the bedroom at the back and left of the house having a size and view suitable of someone of his magnificent caliber. You suspect the balcony attached to that room colors his opinion just a little bit.

Rus, meanwhile, is harder to get a read on. At the start of the tour, as you showed his brother and cousins the first floor, he had wasted no time in tossing himself onto the large, wrap-around sofa in the living room. You got the sense that he was listening but to anyone looking, the skeleton appeared as if he was sleeping. When you moved to the second floor and opened the door to the bedroom across from the one Black had expressed an interest in, you were surprised to find Rus already lounging on the double bed. You had quirked a brow at that, confused as to how he had snuck past you, but aside from a thoughtful hum, merely closed the door and moved the tour along. Guess that room had been claimed.

Black had given a rather dismissive apology for his brother’s “slothful” behavior, stating Rus does that quite often, despite insisting his brother get a better handle on his uncouth habits. You waved him off, stating it was no big deal and that it doesn’t bother you in the slightest.

“Please,” Papyrus had chipped in, “do not encourage him. My brother is just as bad as Rus, if not more so!” This prompted you to look at the blue-clad skeleton in question, tuning out of Papyrus’s tangent. The monster in question had been staring at the closed bedroom door with pure envy, as if he, too, would have liked nothing more than to vegetate on the nearest cushioned surface. You had to literally bite your tongue to keep yourself from laughing at the look of pure longing on his face.

When you show the remaining trio to the basement, you think you see Black’s eye-lights shift to stars the second he spots the floor-to-ceiling wine rack. It only lasts for a brief moment, however, so you’re not too sure. Perhaps he’s a wine drinker? Or perhaps it had just been a trick of the light. Granted, you have seen weirder things, so who knows.

Along with the entertainment area and minibar along the far wall (really it’s just where you stash the bottles of alcohol and spirits you’ve accrued from one place or another over the years), the basement is home to a bathroom, the laundry, a storage room, and a couple spare rooms that you’re currently using as additional storage.

Black seems interested in the entertainment center, as you catch him silently assessing the setup several times during your tour of the basement. You make sure to tell him it's open to everyone in the house so long as they’re respectful and considerate of others.

He nods, muttering something about the color blue and payback? You shrug and don't question it.

When you're sure you've shown them everything of interest in the basement, you direct everyone back upstairs.

“The inside of your home is just as lovely as the outside!” Papyrus proclaims as you all gather in the entryway. You're not sure when Rus had rejoined you but he’s there too, slouched beside his brother.

You grin at the praise, pride swelling in your chest, and thank Papyrus. He sure knows just what to say to get on your good side. Him and Black both, you admit. If this keeps up you likely won’t be able to make it out of the door on the count of a swollen ego.

You really, really like these skeletons.

“If you ever find yourself needing a place, I’ll always have room for you, Papyrus!”

“Nyeh heh heh! Why thank you, human, I will keep that in mind!”

Black scoffs and is quick to protest. “I should think not!” he all but shouts. “We found this place first, find somewhere else to taint with your goodie two-shoes shtick!”

Papyrus just grins at Black and pats his shoulder. “Worry not! Sans and I are quite happy living with the human and the queen. You needn’t feel threatened by the thought of us imposing upon you!”

Black swats Papyrus’s hand away like one would a buzzing fly. A sound reminiscent of one clicking their tongue comes from Black’s mouth as he frowns at the taller skeleton. “As if I would ever feel threatened by a cream puff like you,” he grumbles. And with that remark, he marches right out of the door.

You quirk a brow, a silent question in the look you give the remaining monsters. You’re met with shrugs from Sans and Rus while Papyrus gives you a rather apologetic expression one might give for a misbehaving child.

“eh, don't mind him,” Sans says with a chuckle. “the guy has a tendency to be a bit dramatic.” With a nudge to Papyrus and a soft rumble of “c’mon, bro,” the two shuffle through the doorway, Papyrus turning to give you a wave.

You watch as Papyrus picks up a light jog to catch up with Black, a task that is achieved in no time with his significantly longer legs and larger strides. You can't help but smile at the rather heated discussion the two seem to immediately launch into, Papyrus wildly gesticulating as he speaks.

For a brief moment your vision fogs over and you're no longer watching a couple of skeletons having a rather animated discussion. Memories flood your mind and a bittersweet ache pulls at your chest, suddenly reminded of those that have long since passed.

“m’lord has his moments,” Rus speaks up beside you, his voice pulling you back to the present with a jolt. It has a bit of a husky rasp to it, you can’t help but notice, and sounds a few octaves lower than Papyrus’s. “‘n believe it or not, but this’s probably the most excited i’ve seen ‘im in a long while.”

You twist to look at him, surprised you hadn't noticed him sneak up beside you. How’d he do that? Actually, how does he just keep appearing wherever in the first place? … Magic, probably.

“Oh?” you prompt.

He doesn't elaborate, unfortunately, and you don't press for details. He merely takes a couple dragging steps forward, making to follow his brother and cousins out the door and to their vehicle, before he pauses, as if suddenly struck by a thought, and turns back to you.

“we’ll get back t’ya ‘bout the house,” he starts, “but i think it’s pretty safe to say we’ll be takin’ ya up on the place.” He doesn’t wait for a response before straightening and resuming his forward shuffle.

A warmth blossoms in your chest at that.

You watch the skeletons pile into an eye-catching red convertible, Papyrus waving enthusiastically at you as he leans out the driver’s side and yells an equally enthusiastic, “GOODBYE, HUMAN!! THANK YOU FOR THE LOVELY TOUR!! WE SHALL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON!!!” You see Sans give a lazy wave from his shotgun position, Rus a silent salute from the seat behind Sans, and Black seemingly engrossed with his phone before the car’s engine roars to life. With one last wave, Papyrus pulls the car onto the road and then they’re gone.

You place a steadying palm over your heart. You can’t wait to have company again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hmm...


End file.
